Monday, 21 October 2013

Germany Does Halloween

Harvest, Volksfestival, Beer Festival, Autumn and Halloween all seem to be rolled into one sensory season. Blumen /florists are filled with pumpkins and autumnal coloured bits and pieces. Windows at street level both retail and domestic, pay particular attention to seasonal tableaus. I’m reminded of the Japanese “nature table”, that special nook where nature is brought into the home, usually ikebana. In most towns we have visited, with the exception of Berliners who couldn’t be fagged, the window sill provided a nature screen between the inside and outside worlds.

Domestic windows are so carefully and aesthetically arranged often naff or cutesy but always with intimate detail and attention. It is a shame I can’t offer more shots but the camera does not deflect glass glare well.

This is Galleria, a major department store in Alexanderplatz, Berlin. They have gone all out not only the Halloween stock but on the displays. Change rooms also featured gender specific ghouls.